The present invention relates to the manufacture of rods for use in the manufacture of smoking articles, and in particular t the manufacture of rods from a web of sheet-like material.
In late 1985, a series of foreign patents was granted or registered. The patents disclosed novel smoking articles capable of providing the benefits and advantages associated with cigarettes but without delivering appreciable quantities of incomplete combustion or pyrolysis products. The earliest of these patents was Liberian Pat. No. 13985/3890, issued on Sept. 13, 1985. The Liberian patent corresponds to a later published European Patent Application, Publication No. 174,645, published on Mar. 19, 1986.
Cigarette-type smoking articles described in above referenced EPO Publication No. 174,645 as well as EPO Publication No. 212,234 include a combustible fuel element and a physically separate aerosol generating means. Combustion of the fuel element provides heat for the generation of aerosol by the aerosol generating means. A mouthend piece delivers the aerosol so produced to the mouth of the user. The production of improved mouthend pieces as well as other components for such unique types of cigarettes is clearly desirable. Such types of mouthend pieces and components are described by Barnes et al in U.S. patent application No. 089,692, filed Aug. 25, 1987, which is incorporated herein by reference.
It would be highly desirable to provide an apparatus capable of efficiently and effectively manufacturing rods useful for the manufacture of smoking articles, and in particular, to cigarette-type smoking articles of the type described in the aforementioned EPO Application Publication Nos. 174,645 and 212,234.